The Boulder Shelter for the Homeless is a 30,000 square foot facility that is capable of housing approximately 180 individuals. The 80-ton heating and cooling load is served by a ground source heat pump system. The underground heat exchange field consists of a series of 30 vertical boreholes 250 feet deep each.
The water is circulated through the bore field and then through the building serving 38 individual heat pumps. Each heat pump is capable of heating or cooling at any time of the year. An air to air heat exchanger is used to provide fresh air into the facility and to exhaust the common areas. The air is additionally tempered by evaporative cooling and ground source heating.
A 15-ton heat pump is dedicated for the domestic hot water system. Storage tanks hold 3500 gallons of water that the heat pump system heats throughout the day. This two-temperature water (120F and 140F) is used for the large shower rooms and the full service kitchen.
A direct digital control system is used to control the ground source heat pump system and the remaining HVAC systems.
Recipient of the Northern Colorado AIA Honor Award, 2004